The Faewild Woodland Invasion
In the year of 6E1917, across several continents, deep bottomless pits appeared in many forests. Tears in space and magic had created portals to the most savage abysses of the Faewilds. Plague and bloodshed spread throughout the forests of Tella’ndor. Most Fae creatures had previously never before shown such primal ferocity and they soon ravaged many forests. The inhabitants of the Faewilds were often thought of as having been the entities which planted the first seeds on Tella’ndor that flourished into many lush forests. However, the Fae that emerged from these pits had been so corrupted that they were mere shadows of the purity which they used to symbolise. It was said that Arbella’s influence started waning since the release of the Fae. This Fae Invasion was fairly discreet since the Fae hordes never once left the forests they had invaded and hence scholars coined it the Faewild Woodland Invasion. The wardens of forests, druids, centaurs and many other Sylvan races of Tella’ndor gathered together to plan their tact response to this situation. These times were known for having given birth to the legacy of the Councils of Nature. These Councils across the forests had formed through necessity and caused many woodland races and tribes to ally with each other which had seldom happened before. Most of these Councils were led by Treants and Ancient Living Trees since they often expressed cold and logical yet just viewpoints on matters of nature. The Councils unanimously agreed that in order to preserve nature’s natural cycle, the Fae portals would have to be shut in order to prevent the immediate necrosis of Tella’ndor’s forests. The fighting and spellcasting was gruesome and the war against the Fae was hard-fought. At one point, the front of the battlefields nearly reached the World Tree in North-West Cahryst. Many tens of thousands of precious lives were lost but they had not prevented the World Tree from having been damaged. In the Kingdom of Andel, the Fae that had invaded the Oakreach Forest were exclusively Fae with relations to the Fire Planes. Many acres of forest were burnt to ash and settlements lost to the thick smoke. The Council of Nature that sprang forth in the Oakreach Forest was founded by a female Weeping Willow Ancient Living Tree named Swifthallow. Swifthallow had lived for thousands of years but the Fae invasion had traumatised her. Oakreach Forest had been pressured and hard-pressed for answers. She did not want to witness the death of so many more fellow creatures. The fire Fae conquered miles of woodland, converting it into plagued land. The Council of Nature in the Oakreach Forest was on the verge of being dominated. When Swifthallow gave the order for one last meeting, many gathered with the acknowledgement that they would be probably overrun in that meeting and that the meeting was essentially for their last prayers. Swifthallow, having not received any divine message from Arbella, instead looked to the Twin Solar Goddesses Icara and Asari in that final meeting. As predicted, the fire Fae had marched unto the meeting and made quick work of defeating the Guardians of Oakreach Forest. Swifthallow in her final moments prayed for the Twin Solar’s assistance. As a wicked Fae pierced Swifthallow’s heart, she became engulfed in divine flames. It was reported that two booming voices that sounded like roaring fires spoke out. Her eyes glowed bright white and a flaming scimitar appeared in one hand and a flaming longsword in the other. Swifthallow fought bravely but began to be overwhelmed. In the moment she was buried under the fire Fae that threw themselves on top of her, Swifthallow prayed to Arbella, Asari and Icara to accept her as a sacrifice to ensure the Forest’s eternal longevity. Suddenly, Swifthallow burst into bright light in a divine explosion. The fire Fae were taken aback by what they saw. Out of the body of Swifthallow, her soul became visible and it split into seemingly hundreds of seeds. The seeds began to rapidly grow arms, legs and heads. This was the birth of the Oaklings that signalled Arbella’s regained fortitude. Out of Swifthallow’s suffering, her strong soul provided the sustenance for a new subspecies related to Treants. These Oaklings, under the blessings of the Twin Solars, were resistant to the fires of the Fae and managed to cripple them. The Oaklings drove back the Fae in the coming years. The first Faewild portal was sealed right in the Oakreach Forest. This was the first success of the Councils of Nature approximately 20 years after it had been established. Soon after, Arbella’s influence in the forests re-emerged and aided greatly in driving back the primal Fae. Arbella introduced the Oakling race into the other forests and they were consequential. It was reported that by the time the last few portals were closed, the primal Fae seemingly became less aggressive in their pushes and allegedly some Fae that had overcome their spell of evil helped the Councils of Nature drive back the last Fae hordes. Some notable Fae races that aided in pushing back the hordes included Wildens, Pixies, Nymphs, Dryads and Xephs. Divine and Arcane magic was used to seal back the portals, most notably the spells of many Witches. The Councils of Nature were unsure if they had sealed every entry into Tella’ndor but they had established a large enough foothold that they knew it could prevent another such invasion. The Fae races that aided in sealing the portals were given independence and the right to colonise land on Tella’ndor. These Councils grew exponentially over the next several decades and became epicentres for culture, magic and growth. With Arbella’s renewed strength, the forests once again regrew and flourished, including the Oakreach Forest. Alongside the regrowth of Oakreach Forest, many settlements were re-established, most notably Bloomhallow, which was founded upon Swifthallow’s body. Swifthallow was officially declared a Saint of the Twin Solars and Arbella. Many Oakling have since embraced their role as Protectors and Guardians.